The Rise of the Empire

The 12,000-ton armored cruiser has an 8-inch main armor belt with a large enough coverage area, four 10-inch guns and eight 8-inch guns, and a speed of more than 20 knots! Only £750,000! It's about the same cost as a Munich-class armored cruiser! Who will buy it!

Well, although the statement issued by the Bavarian Ship Design Bureau and Brom-Voss Shipyard occupies the area of ​​a newspaper, the core content is the above. The buyer has no conscience, throws away the brand new warship, and then runs away. . The shipyard has no money to pay wages, so it can only sell it at a low price to return blood.... Of course the actual situation is not that serious. But Ruprecht really didn't want the first 10,000-ton ACR he delivered to end up on the berth, so he really wanted to sell these two warships at a low price now.

"Hehe, the little lion in Bavaria is finally unlucky. I really want to see his expression now. It must be very exciting!" As Ruprecht said, the people in this world who want to see Ruprecht's jokes many people. For example, the current German Emperor Frederick III, to be honest, some things that Ruprecht did made His Majesty a little upset, but it was not easy to get angry. For this situation, the old emperor was naturally very proud.

"I heard that before this contract was signed, Prince Ruprecht asked you about whether the Imperial Navy could take over if the contract was terminated?" Frederick III turned to Crown Prince William next to him and said.

"That's right, Father. But I rejected it at the time, because the Imperial Navy needed better warships. The Russians' return order came at a very good time. If the design drawings of the Mainz-class armored cruiser were submitted, Bavaria It is likely to delay the design of the ship," said Crown Prince William.

"Then let them dismantle it. It won't lose much money anyway, and at the same time, it will allow them to recognize their position." Frederick III nodded, expressing his satisfaction with the crown prince's approach.

"However, Ruprecht doesn't seem to let it go like this. They are looking for a home for these two warships!" Crown Prince William said.

"Hehe, let's see what kind of next family they can find." Frederick III said noncommittally. That's the end of this matter, His Majesty the Emperor is not in the mood to care about such trivial matters.

"Damn it! Such a good boat only sells for 750,000 pounds! It's a big profit!" When this news was sent out, no matter whether it was Chilean, Argentinian or Spaniard, they slapped their thighs in regret! A battleship that is 5,000 tons heavier than the Munich-class armored cruiser is actually the same price as the Munich-class! If I had known that my order would not have been placed so early! But it's too late to say anything now! The second Munich-class armored cruiser of the Argentines and Spain has been completed by more than half, and it will be ready for service in one year. Chile has also completed more than 40% of the construction. The French will pay for the losses of the Russians. Pay the bill!

So although regretting to death, these three countries will never break the contract. The sheer amount of sunk costs that have already been put into it is enough to make them extinguish these ideas. Ruprecht's concern that the ship cannot be sold is still redundant from the current point of view, because the purchases of Chileans and Argentines are far from reaching the historical limit.

From the perspective of Chile, in addition to a 7,000-ton French second-class ironclad ship, the Chilean fleet also purchased two armored cruisers of more than 7,000 tons, namely the 7,000-ton Esmeralda and the 8,500-ton Austrian ship. USS Skins, and another 4,700-ton second-class protected cruiser. And on this plane, because of the sudden emergence of the Munich, the name of the Esmeralda has not changed, but the place of origin has changed! The ship is currently under construction at Brohm-Forth Shipyard.

If nothing unexpected happens, until 1898, Chile's funds can order at least one more Munich-class armored cruiser, that is to say, 700,000 pounds can still be used for Chile,

With demand and bargains available, Chile has no reason to let go of this giant fish!

The same goes for Argentina. The first Garibaldi-class armored cruiser ordered by Argentina was actually the money for the May 25th cruiser and two other small ships in history. The money for the famous 4 King Kongs in later generations has not been spent yet! Now the second Munich-class armored cruiser is also stepping up outfitting in the shipyard. This ship is separated from the warship ordered by Chile by a berth...  And before 1900, according to the historical financial situation of the Argentines, they could buy at least 2 to 3 Munich-class armored cruisers!

For this old enemy in South America, the two 10,000-ton armored cruisers sold cheaply at this time are simply a piece of fat! If you miss it, you will be sad for many years! Ever since, on the fifth day after Ruprecht issued the statement of dumping the goods, the ambassadors of Chile and Argentina to Germany asked the shipyard about the quotations of the two warships. He also said that within one month, a special person will be sent to Germany to discuss this matter.

But the facts have proved that the actions of the South American countries are still a step slower. The Spanish ambassador to Germany told the shipyard on the third day that Spain will order at least one 10,000-ton armored cruiser, and relevant personnel will come to Germany within a week at most!

"Hehe, I'm a little thankful to the Russians now, and the situation is getting more and more interesting." Ruprecht said with a smile as he looked at the pile of documents sent by Earl Schelling. For Chile and Argentina, Ruprecht didn't put much thought into it. Anyway, these two countries have no effect except to send some money to Ruprecht. There are only three countries that Ruprecht really cares about. One is Spain and the United States, enemies who are about to break out of war, and the other is Japan, which will sooner or later have a war with Russia!

For the prince, making money from warships is only a small aspect. How to use the arms trade as leverage to change the situation in the world is what a prince should consider. As long as the price gap is not too large, the two warships in Ruprecht's hands are not expected to fall into the hands of Chile and Argentina.

"The Spaniards moved, and the Americans probably will also move, so what are the Japanese thinking?" Prince Ruprecht fell into deep thought. Although he is familiar with many things in history, he has not clarified a crucial issue about the Spanish-American War, that is, whether the sudden attack on Spain by the United States was planned by the central government, or was it just an accident due to the conflict Woolen cloth? If it is the former, the US government will naturally oppose Spain's purchase of warships. And if it's the latter, you may be indifferent!

Another focus is Japan. No matter how poor Japan is, with the virtues of the Japanese, they would borrow money to buy one, right? And according to some internal intelligence, it seems that the British have provided very large financial assistance to Japan. "

Thanks to book friends zhouyu1976, Stars Soaring in the Universe, Tianchen Pirates and other book friends for their rewards~~~. This is the second time I made a strong push from the side position, and it turned out to be a mess.... Second to last favorites.... 300 collection growth ah--! This blow is too big--! If it is convenient for you book friends, can you give me a collection? ? ?